FEBRUARY 2010
Welcome to the Washington Gardener Enewsletter!
This enewsletter is the free sister publication of Washington Gardener Magazine.
Both the magazine and enewsletter share the same mission and focus — helping
DC-MD-VA region gardens grow — but our content is different. In this monthly enewsletter, we will: address timely seasonal topics and projects; post local garden events;
and, include a monthly reminder list of what you can be doing now in your garden.
We encourage you to subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine as well for indepth articles, inspirational photos, and great garden resources for the Washington
DC area gardener. Without your support, we cannot continue publishing this
enewsletter. Our magazine subscription information is on page 10 of this
enewsletter.
If you know of any other gardeners in the greater Washington, DC-area, please forward this issue to them so that they can subscribe to this free enewsletter as well
using the form on page 10 of this enewsletter to subscribe to our print magazine.
You can also connect with Washington Gardener online at:
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Sincerely,
Kathy Jentz
Editor/Publisher
Washington Gardener Magazine

Reader Contest

For our February 2010 Washington Gardener Reader Contest,
Washington Gardener is giving away several pairs of tickets to
the Capital Home & Garden Show at the Dulles Expo Center
in Chantilly, VA. The show runs from Thursday, February 25 to
Sunday, February 28. Tickets are $12 each at the door or $9 if
ordered in advance.
The Capital Home & Garden Show is better than ever with
more diverse exhibits, more categories, and more presentations on our fabulous stage! The show offers a unique and
broad selection of home improvement-related businesses.
You’ll enjoy various entertaining features and special guest speakers including
WTOP’s Garden Editor Mike McGrath. Get ideas, investigate new products, gather
information and meet the professionals to help you make your next remodeling,
renovation, or decorating project a breeze! To find out more, visit their web site:
www.CapitalHomeShow.com.
To enter to win one of pairs of show tickets, send an email with “CH&GShow” in
the subject line to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5:00pm on Monday, February 22. In the body of the email please include your full name, email, and mailing
address. The ticket winners will be announced and notified by February 23.

Current Issue

Our Winter issue cover story is on Garden Thugs. I had a great time researching and writing this one.
I’m hearing from a bunch of folks
who are enjoying the features including
a profile of Melanie Choukas-Bradley,
author of The City of Trees. What City,
you might ask? Why Washington, DC, of
course!
Also in this issue are Unusual Edibles
by Cindy Brown. From Cardoon to Chinese Okra, she shares her tips on how
to grow these exotics here in the MidAtlantic and even throws in a tasty Bok
Choy recipe to tempt you into stretching
your garden palate.
Then we take a day trip out to Riversdale House in Riverdale Park, MD. No,
that extra “s” is not a typo, there were
multiple nearby rivers when this Federal-era estate was built near the PG
County-Washington, DC border. Tucked
into that daytrip article is a side-bar on
Winter Cover Crops for our area. Sarah
Urdaneta, Riversdale gardener, trialed
and tested several and gives her top
choices.
You’ll also find in this issue:
• a plant profile feature on Red Twig
Dogwoods
• a how-to article on Seed Starting
Basics
• a short warning piece about newly
developing Round-Up Resistant Weeds
• 5 New Plant Picks for 2010
• our Insect column focuses on Stopping Mealybugs
• a club meeting with the Washington
Daffodil Society
To subscribe, see the page 10 of this
newsletter for a form to mail in or go to
our web page and use our PayPal link.

February Garden To-Do List

Spotlight Special

Imagine fruit-salad for the eyes: Alstroemeria Tangerine Tango, a new, winterhardy Inca lily with vivid orange petals,
intense lemon yellow highlights, little
flecks of nut brown and a hint of lime
tint. The plants begin to flower in June,
enjoy kissing the summer sun and
shoot new stems for months until the
first freeze of fall.
When cut, these flowers will last two
weeks in a vase.
Developed by Mark Bridgen, Cornell
professor of horticulture and director
of the Cornell’s Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center
in Riverhead, N.Y., the hybrid is the
second ornamental plant patented by
the Cornell Center for Technology Enterprise and Commercialization. The first
was Mauve Majesty – another Inca Lily
– two years ago.
Tangerine Tango is hardy in many
parts of the United States, and it can
survive cold temperatures as those in
Zone 5. In fact, this flower will do very
well almost anywhere in the United
States, says Bridgen.
Alstroemeria flowers, native to South
America, are the fifth most popular cut
flower in the United States, according
to Bridgen. “The flowers are perfect
for hotel lobbies and fancy restaurants
because they don’t wilt for up to two
weeks,” he says.
This flower took eight years to develop
and is now available commercially
through nurseries and mail order companies, such as:
•White Flower Farm, Richfield, CT,
www.whiteflowerfarm.com
• Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, Gloucester,
VA, www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com
• McClure and Zimmerman Bulbs,
Friesland, WI, http://www.mzbulb.com/
• Roots and Rhizomes, Randolph, WI,
http://www.rootsrhizomes.com
2

Here is our comprehensive garden task list for gardens in the greater DC metro
region for February 16-March 15. Your additions to this list are most welcome:
• Cut some branches (forsythia, quince, bittersweet, redbud, willow, etc.) for forcing
indoors.
• Put suet out for birds.
• Keep bird feeders filled and provide a source of water.
• Check outside plants and trees for animal (deer) damage.
• Mist indoor plants and set up pebble trays to increase humidity.
• Rejuvenate holly bushes and boxwood with a hard pruning.
• Plan landscape design projects.
• Check evergreens for sign of desiccation.
• Start seeds of cool season vegetables and flowers.
• Keep ice melting chemicals away from garden beds. Use coarse sand instead.
• Prune any dead or diseased wood off trees and shrubs.
• Fertilize trees, shrubs, and evergreens.
• Prune roses.
• Begin tilling beds (when the earth is dry enough to work - mot muddy) and work in
compost.
• Plant or transplant trees or shrubs including berries, roses, and evergreens.
• Feed the lawn with a spring lawn fertilizer.
• Protect tender plants by covering them with some type of cloth material, if an
unusually cold day or night is forecast. Be sure to uncover them if it warms up.
• Weed.
• Trim ornamental grasses such as liriope, mondo, and pampas.
• Divide overgrown or crowded perennials such as daylily and shasta daisy.
• Scan houseplants for insect activity.
• Dust your house plants with a slightly damp cloth.
• Clear out perennial beds of any dead plant parts and debris.
• Clean and organize the garden shed.
• Clean, sharpen, and oil the tools. If not done last Fall.
• Walk your yard and check plants and bulbs for heaving and place them back into
the ground. Cover with more mulch to prevent further heaving.
• Apply dormant oil spray to ornamentals and fruit trees before dormancy breaks.
• Check and tune-up power equipment (mowers and trimmers).
• Build garden furniture.
• Spread new gravel on paths.
• Mulch bare areas.
• Design new beds and gardens.
• Pick up new gardening books and magazines for inspiration.
• Start seedling indoors under grow lights. Some good choices to start early are
peppers, artichokes, onions, beets, turnips, cabbage, kale, and leeks.
• Put up trellises and tee pees for peas and beans to climb on.
• Direct sow early, cool season crops as soon as ground soil can be worked. Good
choices are peas, lettuces, mustards, onion sets, kale, and cabbages.
• Start or turn your compost pile.
• Do an annual soil test and amend soils as recommended.
• Check for snow damage. Gently brush off snow weight, if you must. But better to
let snow melt off on its own.
• Have a wonderful 2010 growing season!

Paradise Found at the Orchid Show:
Escape Winter Blues with Exotic Blooms
By Kathy Jentz

With the winter days are gray and chilly, take a quick trip down
to the National Mall and enter a paradise of plants. You can
shed your winter coat and immerse yourself in the tropical air
of the newly opened orchid show in the United States Botanic
Garden (USBG). Between 600 to 1,000 orchids are on display in
every size, form, and color imaginable during the exhibit.
From February 6 - April11 is Orchids: A Cultural Odyssey. This orchid show is a
joint project of the USBG and the Smithsonian. It switches location hosts between
the two organizations on the Mall every other year. This year’s exhibit takes you on a
journey. You explore the ways orchids have permeated the lives of people around the
world. Discover orchids in arts, literature, exploration, jewelry, trade, and business.
Travel the world within the Conservatory and discover how influential and magnificent orchids have been in our lives! .
While being captivated by the beauty of these blooms, don’t overlook their wonderful smells. Use your nose to lead you around through the natural perfumes. A personal favorite of mine is the “Sharry Baby” Oncidium orchid which has a dreamy mix
of chocolate and vanilla scents.
Some orchid enthusiasts grow only orchids that produce a strong fragrance and
others are attracted to specific flower shapes or colors. Yasmeen Peer, an enthusiastic beginner in orchid collecting, has a passion for the Lady’s Slipper (Paphiopedilum) variety. “There is something really erotic about these,” says Yasmeen. “They
are just the coolest looking flowers and they have this velvety texture that makes you
want to touch it.”
Yasmeen eagerly joined the National Capitol Orchid Society. The society has about
400 members and assists every year with the installation of this orchid show. They
also host monthly meetings and several other events annually. Since 1847, the
group of orchid lovers in the greater Washington region shares their knowledge,
organizes plant auctions, and holds ribbon-judging contests. For more information
on joining the NCOS, visit http://www.ncos.us. The society has members at a wide
range of levels from novice to expert.
If you have never grown an orchid, you should not let their fussy reputation deter
you. Tom Mirenda, the Smithsonian’s Orchid Collection Specialist, says, “Many
Orchids are quite suitable for growing as houseplants. Some of the easiest ones,
Phalaenopsis or Paphiopedilums, provide extravagant blooms during the winter
months.” Come out to the orchid show to get a few tips and tricks on how best to
grow an orchid of your own.
Admission to all public areas of the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) is free. The Conservatory is open 10am - 5pm daily. The Conservatory main entrance is located at
100 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC. Visitors can stroll in the adjacent Bartholdi Park from dawn until dusk and can access it from any of the three bordering
streets — Independence Avenue, Washington Avenue, or First Street. Take the Metrorail Blue or Orange line to the Federal Center SW or Capital South stations. By Metrobus, take #30, 32, 34, 35, or 36 to Independence Avenue and First Street, SW. For
more details and maps to plan your visit, go to www.usbg.gov or call 202.225-8333.
You may bring food and picnic on the grounds of Bartholdi Park. Nearby are the
Smithsonian museums including the National Museum of the American Indian,
which has the enticing Mitsitam Native Foods Café, and the National Air and Space
Museum, which has the Wright Place Food Court for fast food.
This orchid show event is quite popular with photographers and there is always
a certain amount of jockeying for space and the perfect angle. Keep in mind the
USBG’s policy that while handheld film, digital, or video cameras may be used at any
time, the use of easels, tripods, or art material containing solvents require special
permission and a permit. Images of the USBG may not be used in commercial or
promotional advertisements. Sketching is allowed, though you might want to do so
during less busy times such as during weekday mornings.

Washington Gardener
Magazine’s
staff and writers
are available to speak
to groups and garden clubs
in the greater DC region.
Call 301.588.6894 or email
wgardenermag@aol.com
for available dates,
rates, and topics.

• Wednesday, February 24, 7:30pm
GROWING ORCHIDS IN THE HOME
Besides giving hints on buying good quality healthy plants. guest speaker Beth
Bishop invites BGC members and guests
to bring orchids in need of TLC for problem
analysis and repotting. She has graciously
agreed to repot up to twenty (20) plants.
Members will be given priority and are
asked to limit themselves to one plant. If
too few plants are available, then the oneonly limit may be relaxed. She will bring
potting medium, and members are asked
to bring their own pots. Ms. Bishop will
also be bringing several types of orchids
for sale. Beth Bishop is a professional
grower who has been with Arbec Orchids
since 1997 and exhibited at the National
Capital Orchid Society shows. As always,
we have plants for the door prize table and
refreshments after the meeting. The public
is welcomed and admission is free.

• Saturday, February 20, 10:00-11:30am
COMMON PESTS AND CONTROLS FOR
THE VEGETABLE GARDENER
Mike Raupp from the University of Maryland will focus on identification and
organic controls of those pests. The event
is FREE so invite your friends and family!
• Friday, February 26, 9:00am-4:00pm
GREEN MATTERS SYMPOSIUM
This year’s theme, Food for Thought, will
focus attention on the importance of a
local food economy and the impact locallyand sustainably-produced food can have
on the environment, human health and
well-being, and the surrounding community. Learn about the ecological and social
benefits of sustainable food, resources for
growing and cooking with high quality produce at home, incorporating edible plants
into your ornamental garden, and organizations that are fostering community
development through growing food.
Registration Fee: $89.

4

• Sunday, February 28, 1-2:30pm
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
Cindy Brown from Green Spring is an
amazing speaker in the DC region specializing on vegetable gardens. She will talk
about planting schedules, varieties, and
how to grow from seeds in the mid-Atlantic area. This talk is a sell out every time.
The event is FREE so invite your friends
and family! [NOTE: This talk has been
rescheduled from its original February 6
date due to the snow storm.]

• Sunday, March 14, 1:30-3pm
IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE: CREATING
AND GROWING YOUR OWN TROPICAL
PARADISE IN A NON TROPICAL CLIMATE
Learn how to create, grow and overwinter
your piece of paradise. Joe Seamone, aka
Boca Joe, describes the best and most
dramatic plants for your garden. Tour
amazing “tropical” gardens located in
the Washington, D.C. area and across the
country. Don’t miss this chance to learn
about planting outside the zone. $10.

• Sunday, February 21, 1:30-3pm
BULBS AS COMPANION PLANTS
Whether starting a new garden or adding to an existing one, Brent Heath of
Brent and Becky’s Bulbs teaches you how
to combine bulbs, perennials, annuals,
ground covers and flowering shrubs to
create just the feeling you want for four
seasons in your garden. $10.
• Sunday, February 28, 1:30-3pm
MOVING TOWARDS NATIVE
By integrating native plants into the
designed landscape you help reduce negative impact on our environment. Sandra
Clinton, of Clinton and Associates, discusses the how’s and why’s of integrating
native plants into the designed landscape
using examples from landscape architects
on the forefront of this movement. $10.
• Sunday, March 7, 1:30-3pm
LUSCIOUS LANDSCAPING WITH FRUITING TREES, SHRUBS AND VINES
What could be more pleasant than picking
fruit from a plant you also admire for its
beauty? Lee Reich, author, of Landscaping with Fruit, introduces you to the best
trees, shrubs and vines for flowers, color
and form. Book signing. $10.

• Saturday, March 6, 9:00am-12:00noon
VEGETABLE GARDENS FOR BEGINNERS
Nothing tastes better than vegetables
fresh picked from a garden. Learn how
to prepare a vegetable garden for spring
planting and eventually summer dining.
Plant choice, compatibility, and planting
nuances will be shared and discussed.
Extend the growing season and diversify
the menu by choosing plants to rotate seasonally to get the most from your space.
After this course, leave time in your day
to prepare the bed, shop for seed, and of
course, plan new dishes for the table!
$36 Garden member; $40 non-member
• Wednesday, March 10, 6:30-9:30pm
GARDEN CHEMICALS: USE AND MANAGEMENT
Confused by the countless pest control
products at your local hardware store or
garden center? This class will de-mystify
the products available and discuss the
least-toxic, yet effective, method of controlling insects, diseases, and weeds in
your landscape and garden. You will also
learn basic sprayer operation and maintenance and examine integrated pest management techniques. This class is geared
toward the homeowner and recreational
gardener and does not offer pesticide
certification credits for professionals. $36
Garden pass member; $40 non-member
• Thursday, Mar 11, 1:00-4:00pm
ART DECO IN FLORAL DESIGN
Art Deco or International Style was
popularized at the 1925 Paris World’s Fair
exhibition. Geometric motifs and strong
shapes create the designs of the Art Deco
period and continue to influence the modern design styles of today. Some tropical
flowers and the design techniques of shadowing and framing will be incorporated
in these arrangements.$90 Garden pass
member; $100 non-member

• Saturday, February 20, 1:00-3:00pm
(Snow/Rain Date: February 27)
WINTER TREE TOUR OF CAPITOL
GROUNDS
Led by Melanie Choukas–Bradley, Author
of City of Trees. Winter is the best time to
appreciate the architecture of the historic
trees that grace the U.S. Capitol Grounds.
We’ll meet in front of the Conservatory
and stroll around the Capitol, admiring
and learning about its magnificent trees
from around the country and the world,
including many official state trees and
memorial plantings. We’ll learn how to
identify Kentucky coffee trees, Japanese
pagoda trees, beeches, magnolias, and
dogwoods during winter, and focus on the
bark, buds, and overall growth habit of
grand old specimens. Giant sequoias and
a massive willow oak are among the trees
we’ll see. Ms. Choukas-Bradley will share
history of the Capitol Grounds and the city
of Washington. Binoculars optional but
recommended. Please note: This tour will
take place outside. Please dress warm.
Snow/rain date is February 27.
Meet at: Conservatory Terrace
USBG Friends: Free, Nonmembers: $8
Pre-registration required
• Saturday, March 6, starting 10:30am,
every half-hour until 1:30pm
U.S. BOTANIC GARDEN PRODUCTION
FACILITY OPEN HOUSE
Only once each year do we invite the
public to see our growing facility, the
largest greenhouse complex supporting
a public garden in the United States. The
site, completed in 1994, includes 85,000
square feet under glass divided into 34
greenhouse bays and 16 environmental
zones. In addition to foliage and nursery
crops, you’ll see all of the USBG collection

not currently on display, including orchids,
medicinal plants, insectivorous plants, and
rare and endangered species. Register for
one of the tour times to meet the growers,
ask questions, and wander through this
working wonderland of plants.
Location: USBG Production Facility
USBG Friends: FREE; Nonmembers: $5
Pre–registration required
• Mondays, March 1, 8, 15, 12:00-1:00pm
LUNCHTIME TOUR OF THE USBG
CONSERVATORY
What do manila folders, Chanel No. 5,
vanilla, and fossil fuels have in common? The answer is that they all come
from plants on permanent display in the
USBG Conservatory. Take a tour with a
knowledgeable guide who will connect
the exotic plant world to everyday life. You
might see bananas and coffee ripening on
the tree or learn about the next big breakthrough in medicinal plant research.
Location: Conservatory Garden Court
FREE: No Pre-registration required

• Saturday, March 6, 10:00am–3:00pm
ANNUAL ORCHID AUCTION
Administration Building
This live auction offers many rare and
unusual orchid varieties from well-known
growers and private collections. The sale
is entertaining and beneficial for beginners as well as serious collectors. Sponsored by The National Capital Orchid Society. Preview at 10:00, sale at 11:00 am.
Free admission.
• Sunday, March 7, 1:00pm-3:00pm
CONIFERS: WHERE IN THE WORLD DID
THAT COME FROM? TALK AND TOUR
Auditorium and Grounds
Some gardeners see the more outlandish
conifers and wonder where they could possibly have come from. They might be surprised to learn that some of them are from
their own backyard. Take a tour of the
Gotelli Collection of Dwarf and Slow-Growing Conifers with the arboretum’s conifer
expert who will focus on the origins of
these plants and emphasize those that are
native to North America. She will also visit
some wild-collected plants and discuss
their origins, pointing out those that are
particularly well adapted to our area. Fee:
$12 ($10 FONA) Registration required.
• Saturday-Sunday, March 13-14, 2010
GOING GREEN WITH GESNERIADS: the
Gesneriad Society’s 2010 Plant Show
and Sale! The Gesneriad family includes
African violets, streptocarpus, gloxinias,
sinningias, chiritas, and many more. The
plant show and sale have hundreds of rare

and unusual plants on display and for sale,
and also include lectures on the gesneriad
family. The show and sales are free and
open from 1-5 pm on Saturday March 13,
and from 9am-4pm Sunday March 14.
For more information, please visit www.
nationalcapitalgesneriads.org.

Washington Home &
Garden Show

Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
Washington, DC
www.washingtonhomeandgardenshow.
com
• Friday, March 13-Sunday March 14
WASHINGTON HOME AND GARDEN
SHOW: ‘GOING TO A GARDEN PARTY’
Landscaped gardens that encourage you
to plan your outdoors for what we all do
best.
Fees: Adults $12; Kids Ages 6-12 - $5
when accompanied by paying parent
5 and under - Free. FRIDAY ONLY $3.00
Discount Coupon - coming soon to www.
washingtonhomeandgardenshow.com.
• Saturday, March 13, 1:00–4:00pm
WORKSHOP: BONSAI REPOTTING
National Bonsai & Penjing Museum
Lecture and Demonstration Center
Is it time to repot your bonsai? Learn
how to do this important procedure correctly and get expert guidance. A bonsai
museum curator will teach repotting concepts and skills, giving individual attention
to each tree the student brings in. Limit
of one large or two small bonsai per student. Soil and tools provided. (Note: Often
bonsai will be repotted into the same
container. For repotting questions, call
202-245-5307.) Fee: $29 (FONA/NBF $23)
Registration required.

Event Listing Notes

For even more area garden event notices
than we can’t possibly squeeze in here,
become a member of our free online discussion group. To join the email list serv,
just send an email to: WashingtonGardener-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
To submit an event for this listing, please
contact: Wgardenermag@aol.com and put
“Event” in the email subject head. Our
next deadline is March 12 for the March
15 edition of this enewsletter featuring
events from March 16-April 15.

Your Ad Here

Are you trying to reach gardeners in the greater
DC region/Mid-Atlantic area? Washington
Gardener Enews goes out on the 15th of
every month and is a free sister publication to
Washington Gardener magazine. The ad rate is
$250 per issue or $1,000 for five issues.
The ad deadline is the 10th of each
month. Please submit your ad directly to:
washingtongardener@rcn.com.

If you’d like to brighten your winter landscape, there is no better way to do it than by adding a red twig dogwood
to your planting mix. This handsome, easygoing shrub is an asset to your garden throughout the seasons, but it
is only when the leaves fall that its spectacular beauty reveals itself. The multiple stems of Cornus sericea (formerly known, and sometimes still sold, as C. stolonifera) are bright red. Growing rapidly in a fountaining shape
to six to nine feet tall and almost as wide, the red twig dogwood provides a great pop of color in the garden at
the time when it is most appreciated.
Cornus sericea is native to the eastern part of the United States and most of Canada. As you might guess
from its wide northern distribution, it is completely cold-hardy, but surprisingly, it is also perfectly at home in our area’s hot,
humid summers. A most accommodating shrub, the red twig dogwood even tolerates boggy conditions and is unfazed by our
clay soil. The only caution I would give gardeners is not to let it dry out. It is best sited in full sun, but will grow well beneath the
high shade of deciduous trees. In filtered light, you might see a decrease in flowering and subsequent berrying.
The red twig dogwood has mid-green oval leaves that are from two-and-a-half to five inches long, depending on the particular
variety. The fall leaf color is variable. Mine had a golden leaf color, if memory serves, but C. sericeas can color up in shades of
purple and red, much like the foliage of an oakleaf hydrangea. If yours does, be very glad. With its graceful, spreading, vase
shape, the red twig dogwood is attractive as a specimen plant or as part of a mixed border and can even be grown as a hedge.
Backed by conifers or evergreen shrubs, its blazing stems are particularly effective.
Less effective are the shrub’s tiny, dirty-white flowers borne — sparsely, in my own experience — in flat-topped clusters, which
later give rise to bluish-white berries in August. I never saw berries on my own dogwood. Fortunately, Cornus sericea’s flowers
and berries are only the opening act to its stunning main attraction, those vibrantly colored stems, which persist from autumn
leaf fall until the shrub begins to leaf out again, usually in April...
Want to learn more about unusual vegetables, the best varieties for our area, and their growing needs? Read the rest of this
PlantProfile column in the Winter 2009 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine.

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The Philadelphia Flower Show is the oldest and largest indoor flower show in the world. The theme for 2010 is
“Passport to the World.” Join us for an exotic journey to dozens of destinations around the globe. Stroll through
Showcase Gardens transporting visitors to an elaborate Indian wedding, a blooming Dutch street scene, the
natural and tribal wonders of South Africa, the Amazon jungle of Brazil, the botanical gardens of Singapore, and
the rugged beauty of New Zealand. Participate in the Lectures and Demonstrations series, Gardener’s Studio, AllStar Culinary Presentations and daily entertainment performances. First-time and returning riders will enjoy the
extra details of our coach ride. We are looking forward to seeing you!
Schedule for the day:
• 10:00AM coach leaves Silver Spring Metro with lunch, games, and DVD viewing en route
• 12:45-7:15PM Explore Philadelphia Flower Show ~ dinner on your own
• 7:30PM Coach departs Philadelphia Convention Center with snacks, games, and DVD showing onboard
• 10:00PM Coach arrives at Silver Spring Metro
This tour package includes:
1. Charter Passenger Coach - reserved seating and storage under the bus
2. Choice of Gourmet Box Lunch on the way up to the show
3. Snacks for the return trip
4. Listing of nearby restaurants for dinner on your own at the show
5. Information package on the show which will assist in prioritizing your day
6. Two Garden DVD showings
7. Admission to the show
8. Convenient drop-off and pick-up at Silver Spring and Dunn Loring Metros*
9. Lively show and garden discussions led by Washington Gardener’s Kathy Jentz
10. Surprises and prizes.



To register, please use the form below. (One form per person.)
Name _______________________________________________________________
Address______________________________________________________________
Phone number________________________________________________________
Email________________________________________________________________
Name of seatmate_____________________________________________________
We will try to seat groups together, but cannot guarantee group seating.
Name of group _______________________________________________________

If you’ve never been to the Philadelphia Flower Show, this is your opportunity to escape from the last of
winter’s cold winds and experience a garden paradise. Walk through floral wonderlands, take notes at one of
the many workshops, enjoy new plants on display, and shop the vendors’ tempting array of goodies.
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